"He snuck up on us, lost a little in a horrible year for Atlanta but shining brightly enough by the end that nobody could miss it.

Trufant looked a little lost in preseason but we’re now convinced he was just rope-a-doping us because once the regular season started he looked like exactly the player the Falcons needed from the draft. He ended the year with a league-leading 15 pass break-ups to go with his two picks, allowing just 53.4% of balls thrown his way to be completed.

That earned him the eighth-highest coverage grade of all cornerbacks and what makes that so special and him the Defensive Rookie of the Year, is just how hard that is to do as a rookie.

Look, for example, at how long it took Dee Milliner to show up and you see just how rare a feat Trufant achieved in a team with ranked as our worst pass rushing outfit."

What worries me about him and Alford is that we really don't have anyone to take them under their wing. Yes we have McClain, but a true vet is Asante. I don't see him being here next year though. So this offseason who is going to buddy up with these guys to keep them on the straight?

We need them to stay focused during the offseason or their development will be compromised.

Our D is getting younger, which is good, but we need older vets to keep things in line and keep guys focused.

Example, Joe Horn and Roddy White. Roddy praises how Joe was to him. It helped to bring him to what he is today.

Obviously Rookies with little guidance can be great. Look at Ryan for that example. But would Ryan have been even better if he sat under someone for a year? Not a nobody, but someone like McNair or Favre or a Manning.